I Am Heath Ledger

A refreshing look and celebration of the life of a wonderful actor rather than a cynical detective story of his untimely death. It's not a particularly deep documentary, and the lack of input from someone like Michelle Williams or Ledger's daughter is understandable but ultimately disappointing, but it sheds what may be a new light on a young man we were truly gifted to share 28 years with. The insight into his creative process and his pure love for what he did is more than enough to make it a worthwhile watch for anyone curious to learn more about Ledger's life as an actor.

I believe with this piece of work, we finally have taken off heaths mask that he portrayed himself as the Joker. We now see a side to heath that the world had to see. I believe it leaves the light on who he was as a artist and just how he was able to tackle and perfect not only the joker in dark knight, but also how he was a father, a friend loved by many and a creative individual who shocked the 21st century with what method acting was really about. The devastating and sudden death that rocked the world just around ten years ago had a huge impact on many. I found this project as an interesting and insightful one. Right from the beginning there is close personal creative genius from this guy. If you think Heath ledger-the actor? Incorrect. The love of film and photography is evident throughout, along with home videos of heath turning the camera on himself and friends. Footage of Heath acting along the best actors in the business, we see the humanity in Heath and just how he was human, he did suffer from the constant overwhelming fame, and in my opinion enjoyed his work rather than his benefits from it. Creating film was heaths love. Also we see a insight into how heath found his wife and love in his tender years that he did live. I believe this documentary went to a place that needed to be searched when we think about the guy that was Heath Ledger. Heath was a guy who lived life to the fullest and never really took a break because of his love for film. Alongside Dean, Brando and Day-Lewis, Heath Ledger was an iconic method actor, that held qualities of a rare breed and should be a image for young actors today. The ethos of this entire documentary holds this idea I believe.

Family and friends give a loving tribute to the late famous actor. It's nice to see so much admiration. There are things I didn't know like making music videos and his filmmaking aspirations. I did forget about his breakup with Michelle Williams. It's not unexpected that she's not doing those talking head interviews. There are a couple of hints about his depression which is blamed on his lack of sleep. What these people are describing is endless energy that builds to almost manic obsession although they put it into the most favorable light. He is a magic being to them and I don't expect anything less. This doesn't get too deep into his death. It is only really a tribute.

I love his vlogs!! Love all the clips Heath shot to record lots and lots of bits of ingenious and beautiful moments in his life. He was probably one of the earliest persons to shoot vlogs with certain artistry. He playing basketball in his living room reminds of Uma Thurman in the Pulp Fiction, when Mia is dancing wildly in her parlour and is absolutely oblivious of the surrounding world. All those familiar faces, Naomi Watts, Ang Lee and Ben Mendelssohn and their recollection of Heath presented what a generous person he was. He would've produced and even directed great films. Surprisingly ignorant as I was, I didn't know the relationship between Michelle and him until I watched this. The way Ang Lee and Health's friends recalled how they had met and fell in love during Brokeback Mountain and the way Michelle looked at him at the premiere are sweetly plaintive.

I was basically introduced to Heath Ledger via his Joker performance in "The Dark Knight", a movie that completely blew me away in large part because of that incredible acting. I was shocked and saddened just like everyone else when Heath unexpectedly passed away shortly afterwards, and was not on hand to receive his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, provide further quality work, or be a father to his child. I really didn't know much of Heath's background before his "Dark Knight" years, so "I Am Heath Ledger" was a very informative (and of course emotional) documentary for me.

Basically, this documentary chronologically covers the years of Heath's short life, both in terms of his acting roles and family life. His love of adventure and creativeness are heavily referenced, as they made up such a large portion of his life and made him such an engaging figure. Heath's mother, father, and sisters talk about Heath from a family perspective, while noted creative luminaries & friends (Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn, Dijmon Hounsou, Emile Hirsch, Ange Lee, Catherine Hardwick, & Ben Harper, to name a few) give their unique perspectives as well.

Despite the fact that Heath's life ended in tragedy, "I Am Heath Ledger" does not revel in it or take a somber tone (until perhaps the final few minutes). Mostly, this is a positive view of Heath's life, not unlike a wake of sorts where fond memories of the departed are shared in order to heal and try to move forward. I appreciated his approach, as it allowed me as a viewer to get a much clearer picture of who Heath Ledger was pre-Batman.

The only reason I won't give this doc the full 10-star treatment is because, in all honesty, I wish it would have discussed the circumstances of Heath's death more directly. All we get here is a brief "he had his demons" line of dialogue. I realize that directors Adrian Buitenhuis & Derik Murray wanted to keep the tone positive (and it is clear they are always striving to do that), but I wonder if more could be learned from Heath's unfortunate demise by examining it frankly. Sure, no one wants the "Ledger was a druggie" myth to perpetuate (untrue as it may or may not be), but from my knowledge Heath died because of prescription medication abuse. Sad as it was, I would rather examine the issue for what it is instead of clouding it in mystery. Perhaps a lesson can be learned for future adventurers like Heath in order to better control their specific set of problems.

Overall, though, "I Am Heath Ledger" is an excellent documentary that gives a very well-rounded picture of Heath's acting, relationships, and life in general. Fans of him specifically or just actor stories in general will be satisfied (as well as emotionally touched) by the final product here.